Book Review: The Jinx

Title: The Jinx
Autor: D. F. Lamont
Genre: Middle Grade
Have you ever had one of those days where it seems like everything is falling apart around you? Like everything you touch just turns to dust? You walk by a display case in the grocery store, and every can comes tumbling to the ground, or you say “break a leg” to someone before a performance and they actually end up breaking a leg. I’ve had days like that (well, not the leg breaking part), but never as bad as Stephen Grayson, the main character in The Jinx. Thirteen-year-old Stephen’s bad luck is so awful, he fears that it’s putting his entire family in danger. So he does what any reasonable teenage boy would do- he runs away.

Shortly after high-tailing it out of town and away from his family, Stephen’s already bad luck takes a turn for the worse. First, he’s chased by bizarre monsters that he later finds out are called Chaons. Then, an even more bizarre cult led by Dr. Zixhu, bent on bringing pure order to the universe, snags him and tries to use his powers in their nefarious plan. Luckily, he’s saved by the motorcycle-driving Daedalus, a brilliant man who was also once a pawn in Zixhu’s plans. Together, they come up with a plan to defeat Zixhu and keep the universe in balance.

Overall, I thought The Jinx was a fun book. I really liked how Lamont explained chaos theory in terms that I could understand. I’ve never been really good with physics, even though it’s a subject that has always interested me, so I appreciated the way he broke it down to the basics. The story moves very quickly… a little too quickly at times, and I did feel that there were certain parts that could have been more fleshed out. Daedalus was my favorite character, probably because he was so smart yet still very humble. I always did like he smart guys.

This book was written for middle-grade kids, and while some of the subject matter may be considered a little over their heads, I think Lamont did a good job describing it in a way that a 12-year-old could understand. Kids are way smarter than we give them credit for these days! I’d recommend this to any 10+ year old who enjoys sci-fi that’s a little heavier on the theoretical sci than the fi.

I received an ebook copy of The Jinx for review. My opinions are my own.